On the blow molding floor, preform temperature is the quiet lever that controls output and quality. When the heating tunnel underperforms, you get uneven wall thickness, blown bottles, and speed cuts that eat into margins. The Krones Contiform gold reflector IR bulb is built to put the heat profile back where your Contiform stretch blow molder expects it, so you can run at rated cycle without chasing variation. What matters under the hood We built this IR emitter around a short-wave halogen element paired with a gold-coated reflector. The gold reflector concentrates the energy and keeps lateral spill down, so preforms see a tight, repeatable heating pattern across the heating tunnel. The quartz envelope responds quickly, which helps keep temperature stable during indexing, and the R7s base drops right in for a solid, direct fit in the Contiform lamp holder. The specs—voltage, wattage, length, and beam geometry—match the OEM requirements, so the control system sees a consistent load and the heating curve stays predictable. Why this matters on a Contiform line In Contiform stretch blow molding, the preform has to land inside a narrow temperature window before it stretches. This bulb restores the intended heat density, which means faster stabilization after startup, fewer rejects from uneven clarity and wall distribution, and steadier line speed. You also see energy use drop because the reflector improves coupling—more IR goes into the preform, less is wasted as ambient heat. And out in the tunnel, we typically see longer service life, which translates into fewer changeouts and less unplanned downtime. The practical details that save you grief Installation is straightforward, but the quartz envelope doesn’t forgive oils or skin contact. Always handle it with a clean, lint-free glove, wipe with isopropyl alcohol if needed, and seat the R7s connector fully to avoid arcing. Match the exact voltage and wattage to your Contiform configuration; running mismatched lamps shifts the thermal balance and can trip control alarms. Keep the reflector surfaces clean—cooling air is fine—but steer clear of solvents that dull the gold coating.